1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fishing hooks and, more particularly, to weedless fishing hooks for preventing weeds or similar submerged objects from inadvertently snagging the hook or contaminating the hook and/or lure.
2. Description of the Background
When fishing in water containing seaweed or when fishing adjacent a grassy bed, fishermen have long experienced problems with the fishing hook becoming snagged on the grass or weeds, so that the hooked grass thereafter travels through the water with the bait or lure, either creating an unnatural appearance to the fish and/or covering the barbed tip of the hook so that a striking fish will not likely be caught. Similarly, when fishing in a stream with submerged tree branches or roots, the hook often snags and then becomes deeply lodged in the submerged wood, and the fly or bait is lost trying to dislodge the snag. If the hook can not be dislodged, the line must be cut and rerigged. Since these problems have long existed, it is not surprising that special hooks and lures have been devised, generally referred to as weedless hooks or lures, to overcome this problem.
One type of weedless hook employs a wire guard attached at one end to a spoon, lure, or hook, with the free end of the wire generally positioned adjacent the barbed end of the hook to prevent weeds from engaging the barbed end and/or to deflect the hook around a sumberged branch or other more stable submerged object. U.S. Pat. No. 1,992,766 discloses a fishing or trolling spoon with a light flexible weed guard comprising a pair of wires, with one end of the wires secured to the spoon and the free end of each of the wires on opposing sides of the barbed hook. A fishing lure with a curving wire weed guard soldered or welded to the hook is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,468,988. The weed guard may then be attached to a selected spoon at the fishing site to make the lure ready for use. A steel wire guard secured to an artificial lure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,630,649. The free end of the wire guard has deflecting portions which extend on opposite sides of the barbed end of the hook. U.S. Pat. No. 2,700,240 discloses a wire member with an arm normally juxtaposed to the barb to serve as a weed guard, while another arm enables the wire to be secured to the lure.
Probably the most popular type of weed guard in use today, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, employs a wire 10 configured to form a loop end 12 which normally engages the barbed end 14 of the hook 16. The wire 10 may pass through the eye 18 of the hook, and be secured to the shank 20 by a string-like wrapping 22. In theory, the wire 10 deflects the weeds from the barbed end 14, and/or deflects the barbed end of the hook out of the path of the wood or other submerged object. When a fish strikes the hook, however, the wire easily flexes toward the shank 20, so that the barbed end 14 is exposed to catch the fish. A device similar to that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,670,446, wherein a tubular shaped wire-like guard normally has one end covering the tip end of the hook.
In practice, it is difficult to keep the hook end 12 of the wire guard as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 continually aligned with the barbed end 14 of the hook. Since the wire must be flexible to easily bend toward the shank when a fish strikes the bait or lure, it also easily bends laterally out of the plane of the hook, e.g. when the wire guard 10 hits the water or strikes a submerged article. The biasing action of the wire normally is intended to hold the looped portion 12 against the barbed end 14, so that the looped end 12 automatically springs past the barbed end 14, as shown in FIG. 2, any time the loop end is not restricted by engagement with the barbed end 14 of the hook, e.g. if it is deflected toward the shank and simultaneously or subsequently deflected laterally out of alignment with end 14. This action has several significant drawbacks: (1) since the wire 10 is out of the plane of the hook, the barbed end 14 is free to engage weeds or other debris, thereby obviating the "weedless" feature of the hook, and (2) if a fish should strike the bait on the hook or the lure adjacent the hook once the wire springs past the guard as shown in FIG. 2, the looped end 12 of the wire 10 may engage the barbed end 14 of the hook, but be prevented from moving toward the shank 20 by the barbed end 14 and thereby preventing the fish from being caught.
The disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by the present invention, and an improved weedless hook is hereinafter disclosed which satisfies the need for a reliable yet relatively inexpensive weedless hook which may be used in conjunction with various baits or lures to catch fish.